Pecco Bagnaia hints at entry for Suzuka 8 Hours with Ducati
Could Pecco Bagnaia follow in Valentino Rossi's footsteps?
Pecco Bagnaia has hinted that he will enter a future edition of the Suzuka 8 Hours.
The famous endurance race in Japan was won by MotoGP rider Johann Zarco on Sunday.
Zarco represented Honda alongside Takumi Takahashi and Teppei Nagoe, and was racing at the event for the first time.
Former Ducati MotoGP chief Paolo Ciabatti was in attendance in Japan because the Italian manufacturer was supporting a Kagayama team, who finished fourth riding a Ducati Panigale V4 R.
A picture posted by Ciabatti alongside the Kagayama riders received an intriguing response from Bagnaia.
“Prepare everything well, I’m coming later,” the MotoGP champion teased.
An entry to the Suzuka 8 Hours from Bagnaia would be a mouthwatering prospect.
It would surely require a full factory entry from Ducati, which was lacking this year.
No non-Japanese brand has ever won the standout event of the FIM World Endurance Championship.
This year’s winners Honda were victors for the 30th time in 45 years.
An entry from Bagnaia would follow in the footsteps of Valentino Rossi, who famously entered the Suzuka 8 Hours.
Rossi famously won the 2001 event with Colin Edwards as his teammate.
Wayne Rainey (1988), Eddie Lawson (1990) Mick Doohan (1991) are other legendary winners of the Suzuka 8 Hours.
Could Bagnaia, leading a factory Ducati team, be next?
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
